Farrah Fawcett Almost Didn’t Get to Wear Her Iconic Red Swimsuit

Every week, VF.com editors pick a classic image from fashion history to examine what really went on behind the scenes. Today, we look at a 1976 picture of Farrah Fawcett, then on the cusp of stardom for Charlie’s Angels.

Farrah Fawcett’s perky, 70s pinup pose was the picture seen around the world—or at least on every teenage boy’s wall. With millions of copies sold, [according to the Smithsonian] (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/2/farrah-fawcetts-red-swimsuit-going-smithsonian/) it is the best-selling poster of all time. C’mon, who could resist that voluminous hair, infectious smile, and, of course, that suit!

If the poster company behind the shoot had its way, however, the red swimsuit would have never made it into the frame. Fawcett was still relatively unknown at that point, as Charlie’s Angels had not yet debuted on ABC, and they thought a racy shot was their best chance to sell posters. Recalls photographer Bruce McBroom to Entertainment Weekly, “I said [to Farrah], ‘He wants you in a bikini,’ and she said, ‘I don’t have a bikini.’” So, she went into her closet and put on what she had, did her own hair and makeup, and flashed her signature megawatt smile.

The colorful background? A blanket from Mexico that McBroom had in the back of his 1937 pickup truck.

Fawcett herself chose the final shot to send to the company. “She told me later that she had picked out her top two favorites and marked them on the slides,” McBroom told Time. “It was Farrah’s pose, Farrah’s suit, Farrah’s idea. She picked that shot. She made a lot of money for him and for herself, and made me semifamous.”

When asked why he thinks the photograph became iconic, McBroom told American Photo, in an interview, that he was unsure. “I have tried over the years to understand why the Farrah poster attracted so much interest from so many people. I think it was a lucky combination of this wholesome, beautiful, all-American girl looking directly at you with a dazzling smile and a red suit that covered a lot but revealed a little.”

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